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History of Equestria
A collective history of the United Imperial Republics of Equestria from its roots to the current age. Three nations of Equestria The first traces of the Threeponies comes from the easternmost portions of modern Equestria, where the Equus ferus split off into the Equus sapien. This split supposedly resulted in the formation of three unique tribes, which magical abilities were first vested in two of the three. The earliest Pegasi and Unicorn tribes left the local area and migrated west, where they split into their own groups again. The first four nations of the Equestrian races formed sometime around 10,000 BC, the Unicorn Dominion, the Pegasi League, the Earthpony Chancellery and the Snowborn Kingdom. The period between 10,000 BC and 8700 BC were increasingly unstable, and all early nations were in constant conflict with one another. It wasn't until the foundation of Canterlot in 8500 that powers between the nations stagnated and settled into their respective lands. For three hundred more years, the Unicorns and Earthponies grew closer together on the Equestrian peninsula until the formation of the Unicorn-Earthpony Pact, which bound the Unicorn Dominion and the Earthpony Chancellery into an allied confederation. The unification of the Earthponies and Unicorns was seen as threatening to the Pegasi, who then settled lands just south of the Unicorn and Earthpony nations on the Equestrian peninsula. By the beginning of the 4900s, the power was divided between the Pegasi in the south and their colonies on the peninsula, the Pact with their lands on the northern part of the peninsula, and the isolated Snowborn Kingdom with a large amount of territory in the ancient Equestrian homelands. Pegasi Wars When the Pegasi founded the two colonies of Cloudsdale and Las Pegasus just south of the Pact homelands, the Unicorn hierarchy saw this as a threat to their authority and infringement on their lands. To insure proper defense against the culturally warlike Pegasi, the two nations of the Pact united into the Principality of Equestria. The newfound Principality immediately sent emissaries to the Pegasi colonies, but were met with hostile treatment from all Pegasi. Outraged that the Pegasi refused to negotiate the release of Equestrian claims, a massive expansion of the Principalities land borders were called for by the government, and the Earthponies and Unicorns alike spread across the peninsula. Eventually, the two Pegasi colonies remained isolated and separated from their homelands, but their ability to fly insured continuous flow of soldiers and information to and from the colonies. By around 2400 BC, the Principality of Equestria matched the military might of the Pegasi League while also maintaining its natural freedom and confederation outlook on its expansionism. The high quality of Equestrian life while also an extensive military angered the Pegasi even more, who began a series of unsuccessful civil insurgencies against the Principality. Increasing Equestrian prosperity and establishment of trade with the Snowborn Kingdom continued the Equestrian ascension to power against the Pegasi. Tensions snapped in 1300 BC, when a Pegasi invasion force from the colonies was ordered to sack Canterlot and capitulate the Equestrian government. This action directly against the Principality began the Pegasi Wars. The first battles of the war were fought south of the Pegasi colonies on the peninsula, when an army from Las Pegasus attacked the town of Ponyville in the Battle of Ponyville. After their victory in Ponyville and occupation of the town, the Pegasi army moved south to Bostrot, where the Siege of Bostrot led to the occupation of that city by the Pegasi. After suffering the loss of two important cities on the peninsula, the city of Fillydelphia held off the Pegasi army at last in the Battle of Fillydelphia. With the Pegasi army in full retreat back to Cloudsdale, the Fillydelphia militia liberated the cities of Bostrot and Ponyville without fighting. Soon, the combined militias of the Equestrian peninsula were able to set up a defensive line on the Pegasi colonies, and further fighting on the peninsula was made impossible. With only a small force left in their colonies, the Pegasi army marched directly to Canterlot to sack the city. However, the Battle of Canterlot was a major defeat for the Pegasi army, which was completely surprised by the newly established Earthpony Knights of Harmony and the Unicorn Circle of Magi. Combined with the regular Equestrian army, the force overtook the Pegasi colonies in the short Battle of the Scarlet Clouds. After annexing the Pegasi colonies, the Principality sought reparations from the Pegasi League for causing massive damage to Canterlot and the Equestrian peninsula. And so, the invasion of the Pegasi homelands began with the combined forces of Equestria moving south into the Pegasi homeland. Upon meeting with a small caravan just north of the Pegasi lands, the Equestrians learned that the Pegasi's confederation type government was caught in a massive civil uprising that they could not handle themselves. When the Equestrian forces arrived in the city of Phoenimare, they restored order and established a peace between the League government and civil dissidents. The Treaty of Phoenimare resulted in the Equestrian annexation of the Pegasi homelands, and the establishment of the modern day United Imperial Republics of Equestria to accommodate the diverse views of the Pegasi. Reform and growth The new governing system was formally adopted in the year 742 BC, which marked the end of the six centuries long Pegasi Wars. A collective amount of five Republics and the Canterlot Imperial City made up the first divisions of Imperial Equestria. The country gained a large amount of land between the native Pegasi homeland and the Equestrian peninsula, land which was not occupied by any existing group. Tales of fertile land on the end of the Appledune peninsula attracted many, and a large amount of Unicorns and Earthponies alike began moving west. Shortly after the settlement of the area, gold was found on the peninsula. The Gold Rush of 689 was important to the region, as it was a founding factor in the creation of the Blueblood Republic. Another settlement movement occurred in the Dragontail foothills east of the Pegasi homeland. Pacifist Earthpony druids flocked to the ancient and lush forest as an escape from the cosmopolitan lifestyle of the Equestrian peninsula. This movement was important to the eventual formation of the Greenhoof Republic in 553 BC. As diverse groups continued establishing their own communities from the abundant land, the eastern neighbor of Equestria took notice of the expanding population. While the Snowborn Kingdom and Imperial Equestria enjoyed neutral but warm relations during the Pegasi Wars, the two were at odds as the rapid expansion of the Equestrians. With the Everfree forest blocking southwards expansion for new groups, many began turning east into Snowborn lands. In 471 BC, an Equestrian caravan was attacked by Snowborn soldiers outside of the city of Foalreath. Enraged that the Snowborns accepted this, the Imperial government declared war on the Snowborn Kingdom with the intent to raze the entire nation and its people. The War of Snowborn Annexation began quickly with the projection of Equestrian troops from Westmanester directly into the Snowborn lands. The Battle of Foalreath was the first engagement between Equestrian and Snowborn forces, and Equestria dominated the battlegrounds with the combined uses of Unicorn magic, Pegasi flight and Earthpony melee. After their victory, the Equestrians then went south to Saddletude with a scorched Earth policy of destroying everything in their path. The Sack of Saddletude propelled the conflict into further hostility and little resentment for the war on both sides. After a month long march to the city of Trottenheim, the Equestrian forces gave the Snowborn monarchy a referendum. Either they could accept being absorbed into the Empire, or the monarchy could have their city pillaged and their entire bloodline erased. When the High King of the Snowborn chose the latter, the Equestrian troops were met with a preexisting chaos inside the city. Using the confusion to their advantage, the Scathing of Trottenheim lasted only 37 minutes. When peace was finally established within the city, only rubble and fires remained. Seeing this as an Imperial victory, the Duke of Whitemane agreed to have the Snowborn lands and people be absorbed into the Empire. The Snowborn Kingdom was then split into three separate Republics, but collective authority was granted to the Duke of Whitemane until a lasting peace could be established in the newly acquired lands. First Golden Age and human contact With the spread of Equestrian Imperial power to the Snowborn claims, the Empire reached its present day borders in 87 BC with the claim of the Rockyneigh range. For nearly 790 years, Equestria's growth stagnated, but its prosperity was spread throughout the nation. This period between 80 BC and 710 AD was known as the Equestrian Golden Age. During the Golden age, power and wealth was consolidated throughout the Empire ambiguously, and the democratic proceedings of the Republics worked in favour of all. However in 713, the peace was broken when a group of Holy Roman inquisitors arrived in the Cloudreach Republic. For most of its existence, Equestria and the human nations disregarded each other until this incident. The Holy Romans terrorized the city of Phoenimare, but were quickly executed by guards. They claimed to have "come to purge the impure demons from Earth", citing the use of magic by the Equestrians in their daily lives. Angered by this, the Imperial government sent an envoy to Paris to settle the issue, but the Equestrians were killed by the citizens of the city who thought they were demons. Outright enraged, the Imperial government then sent a number of troops to burn the city to the ground. However the Imperial soldiers were met with stark resistance, and the city of Paris won the short Battle of Paris. No war was declared on either side of the conflict, and the presence of hostilities between the nations was seen as a norm to both societies. It wasn't until 1349 that relations with the human countries improved. On that year, the British government overthrew their Holy Roman occupiers, and established themselves as the United Kingdoms of England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland. Wishing to incur as much damage as it could to the Holy Roman Empire, the British asked for Equestrian assistance in their independence. The Imperial government of Equestria agreed, and sent an army to the city of London for the commandeering of the British against Holy Rome. The Equestrian army served under the British flag in the British War of Independence, but the Holy Roman Empire was irritated at Equestria for assisting the British in the first place. When the British established a legitimate government and secured its territorial claims, they immediately sent an embassy to Equestria. This diplomatic exchange was seen as a milestone victory in Equestrian-British relations, and even further so in Threepony-Human relations. A peace was established again in 1386, when the Holy Roman Empire agreed to recognize the sovereignty of the British and Equestrian governments. Second Golden Age and World Unity From 1390 to 1530, Equestria endured the Second Equestrian Golden Age, in which its power was seen important to the establishment of independent French, Italian, Spanish and Romanian governments away from the Holy Roman Empires collective rule. During the Age of European Expansion, Equestria remained prosperous but weary of Russian attempts to settle near Equestrian lands. However, an agreement was formulated with the Russian government that established the modern day eastern border of the nation, and relations between Equestria and Russia were stabilized warmly in 1551. Equestria remained neutral in the Eighty Years War between Britain, Spain and France, and instead worked on formulating domestic expansion east of the Stableshire Republic and east of the Snowborn homeland. When the Eighty Years War ended in 1637, Equestria began forming bonds between European nations and itself. Equestria established an alliance with Great Britain and its colonies, and also friendships with the Far Western nations of China, Japan, Vietnam and Thailand. After many years, the Great Sea fell under stark Equestrian, Russian, Chinese and British dominance, and the four nations founded the League of Nations in 1682. The League soon expanded to the rest of the Far West, Italy, Greece, Spain, France, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Holland and Belgium, the single largest collection of nations ever recorded since the fall of the Holy Roman Empire. Equestria continued to keep its civil differences away from human exploitation, but the Equestrian government agreed to continue cooperation with human countries in the event of any conflict. By 1700, the League had established the Magna Carta, effectively ending the age of imperialism throughout the globe, and fully recognizing the sovereignty of all nations. Diamond Age and Industrial Revolution The Equestrian Diamond Age was marked beginning in 1702, as a time of great prosperity and peace like no other. Equestira's territorial accumulation had been officially completed, and the populace was extremely happy with the mixed absolutist democratic monarchy system. The Diamond Age was seen as the true greatness and power of the Threeponies, and many works of culture and science were fermented during the period. While the collapse of the Greater British Empire granted the sovereignty of the United States, Australia, and New Zealand, the economic effects had little sway in Equestria because of its economic and social isolation. The Diamond Age continued into the mid Industrial Revolution in 1815, until the country's way of life stagnated in a great amount of wealth and entertainment. The Industrial Revolution did not affect Equestria as much as it affected European nations. Empress Celestia declared that the new industrial methods of humanity were too hostile to the environment, and that magic would have to replace any other form of energy if the people of Equestria deemed it important to industrialize. The first factories opened in Manehattan and Canterlot, and goods produced were catered mainly to the consumers of the nation. The factories did not last long, as many saw the system to be too unfair and too economically radical. The factories were destroyed, and the former owners compensated for their time. The Industrial Revolution in Equestria ended only four years after it began. Category:United Imperial Republics of Equestria Category:Events